ST. PAUL, Minnesota - ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie weren't happy.
Two of the leading young stars on the U.S. men's national team that returned to the World Cup last year aren't so young anymore. So when coach Gregg Berhalter split his 24-man roster into three age-based subgroups during a training exercise last week, the pair, now 24 and 25 (Pulisic will celebrate his 25th birthday next week), were stunned to suddenly discover themselves in the eldest cohort.
As for Yunus Musah? "I was still in the youngest group," the midfielder said, flashing his signature thousand-watt smile.
It's easy to forget that Musah is still just 20. Like McKennie and Pulisic, he was a starter throughout the Americans' round of 16 run at Qatar 2022 where, as a teenager deployed in the heart of Berhalter's midfield, he logged more minutes than all but three U.S. outfielders: defenders Tim Ream and Antonee "Jedi" Robinson and destroyer Tyler Adams.
Musah is grizzled veteran now, with a World Cup and almost 100 La Liga appearances under his belt for Spanish club Valencia, which he left this summer for storied Italian side AC Milan.
"He's a big part of our program," Berhalter said of Musah here Monday, a day before the USMNT meets Oman in a friendly at Allianz Field. "He was last [World Cup] cycle and he is this cycle."
He also might have the highest ceiling of any established U.S. starter, simply because of his age.
That vast potential is one reason Milan paid Valencia $20 million for his services last month. But playing for the Rossoneri, UEFA Champions League semifinalists last season, is a significant step-up for Musah.
"I wanted to go there because it was like a different stage," Musah said. "Just being able to play at the highest level — that's my goal."
Yet the late transfer prevented Musah from participating in the bulk of Milan's preparations for the new campaign. He's made just one appearance, off the bench, through the seven-time European champion's first three league games in 2023-24.
The Serie A season has barely started, obviously. There's plenty of time for Musah to work his way into the regular rotation under Milan coach Stefano Pioli, though he'll have to earn everything he gets on a stacked team that boasts several other older central midfielders, including other new recruits in Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders.
That gives this two-game international window added importance for Musah, who went all 90 minutes in Saturday's 3-0 friendly win over Uzbekistan in St. Louis.
"One of our concerns was getting him game time because he hasn't played [much] in the season," Berhalter said. "He hasn't had a proper preseason. So that's a priority of ours, to get him game time so he can get fit and go back to Milan in good condition."
The coach wants to send Musah back a better player, too. After his U.S. debut in late 2020, it took Musah about a year to establish himself as an automatic selection in Berhalter's preferred midfield alongside Adams and McKennie.
Now, Berhalter wants to see the silky smooth Musah's undisputed talent start to show up on the scoresheet. Going into his 29th international appearance, the New York-born, Europe-raised Musah is still looking to find the net for his country for the first time.
"We're challenging Yunus with final passes and goals," Berhalter said. "He had opportunities [last] game to make the final pass, to really make the incisive move. He had one chance on the cutback cross that he just missed. So I think he's close."
Whether that elusive maided strike comes Tuesday or not, Musah is in a good spot. He's loving being back in Italy, where he lived until moving to London at age nine. Although he's lost some of his language skills over the decade, his Italian is still more than good enough to help new club teammate Pulisic understand a specific instruction from Pioli, or order food when the two Americans go out to eat in Milan.
"I already had to adapt, obviously, to being a new club. But I didn't have to adapt to being in a new country," he said.
Pulisic being around has also helped ease the transition.
"It's been really nice having Christian there," Musah said. "Seeing him day to day, it's even more special. And it's nice to have a fresh start."
Returning to the national team is the opposite experience, even if it seems like he should've graduated from the kids table long ago.
"It doesn't feel like I've been here a while," he said. "I'm still one of the younger ones."
And still one of the USMNT's best.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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